Cotton preparing and baling machinery.



G. R. BROWN. DECD.

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COTTON PREPARING AND BALING MACHINERY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9.19:4. RENEWED JULY 12. 1911.

G. R. BROWN. DEC'D.

W. BROWN, TEMPORARY ADMINISTRATOR. COTTON PREPARING AND BALiNGMACHINERY, APPLICAHON FILED MAR 9, 19M RENEWED IULY 12. 1917- PatentedFeb. 26, 1918.

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2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Application filed March 9, 1914, Serial No. 823,432. Renewed July Urnnsrrns earner ra ion;

GEORGE RAYMOND BROWN, OE OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOM wanrnr. renown, or .asn-

WOOD, TEXAS, TEMPORARY ADMINISTRATOR OESAID GEORGE RAYMOND BROWN,DECEASED, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT;A1\TD IVIESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 CLAYTON GINGOMBRESS 00;, 0F HOUSTON, TEXAS, A CORPGRATION OF TEXAS.

COTTON PREPARING AND B ALING MACHINERY.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnonen R. BROWN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Oklahoma city, in the countyof Oklahoma and State of Uklahoina, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cotton Preparing and Baling Machinery, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawing.

lhls invention relates to improvements 1n apparatus, used for producingcompact bales of cotton, involving intermittinglystarting-and-stoppingbale-forming mechanism, continuously-acting mechanism for forming theloose bat which is fed to the bale-former, contiimously-actingcondensing mechanism which supplies the cotton to the batformer, andintermittingly-acting accumulating devices which temporarily receive,and properly dispose of, the forward end portions of the bats comingfrom the bat-former during the brief periods when the baling mechanismis at rest and is discharging the bales.

The object of the invention is to provide, first, an accumulator withintermittinglyacting operative parts, all of which (a) shall bepositively driven in timed relation with the bat-forming and thecondensing mechanism, (6) shall have a receiving device which will befixed in position, as concerns any bodily movements thereof, (0) shallbe entirely independent of the baleforming mechanism, and (cl) can beoptionally connected to and disconnected from the power driver; second,a bat-forming apparatus which shall be continuous in its action andoperated in timed relation with the ginning and with the condensingmechanism; and, third, an intermittingly-acting baling press all ofwhose operative parts can be stopped and started independently of theaccumulator and of the other parts referred to.

Heretofore the movements of the bat accumulating devices and theIIlOVGIHQIltS 0f the bale-forn1ing mechanism have been intimatelyassociated; in some cases, the rotary parts of the accumulator beingactuated by frictional contact'with one or another of the rotary partsof the press mechanism;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb, 26, MM, 1917. Serial No. 180,242.

and in other cases, the accumulators each have a cumbersome temporarybat support which must be bodily moved (by complicated mechanismcomprising numerous parts) fromone of its positions to another.

but in the positions occupied by them when the bat accumulator is atwork, and the bale is being removed;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same parts,

illustrating them in the positions occupied at the time when theaccumulated bat is being delivered'to the press, together with the batthat is newly formed;

Figs. 4:, 5, and 6 show detached parts.

Fig. 7 is a perspective detail view of one of the tripping devices forstopping the accumulator.

The frame work or support upon which the operative parts are mounted isindicated by A, B, G. A is the main support or foundation of the entirestructure; B, that part of the frame work which supports the condensingapparatus D and the bat former E; and C, the supplemental frame whichcarries the accumulating apparatus F and the driving mechanism therefor.

The baling press, as an entirety, is indicated by G. a

I have shown more or less indetail the several 'mcchani'cal parts whichare comprised in each of the general elements that have been specifiedand will refer to them, somewhat in detail; but it will be under stoodthat in numerous respects there can be modifications of the mechanismsor devices shown without departing from the essential features of theinvention.

T he condenser at D receives the cotton continuously from the gins. Ithas a drum. 1 carried by shaft 2 which is suitably mounted in the framework. This shaft has a pulley 3 driven continuously by belt 4 from thegin shafting.

The lint cotton which is received from the gin jis carriedover by thedrum 1 and is deposited in the bottom of the condenser hopper.

. shafts 7. and 8 to which also are secured the sprocket wheels 9 and10. With these wheels engages the sprocket chain 11 driven by wheel 12on the shaft 13. This shaft has a pulley 14. which, by means of a belt15, is

driven continuously from the gin shaftin The chain 11 is arranged to soengage, with the sprocket wheels 9 and 10, respectively, that thebat-forming rolls 5 and 6 will be turned in opposite directions andconstantly feed the bat 16 from the condenser, ready to be delivered tothe bale-forming press.

The bat passes from the rolls 5 and6 over i an inclined chute 17, 18.The part 18 is fixed rigidly in position, but the part 17 is pivoted at19 so that it can swing from its 7 position of delivery to thepress tothe position of delivery to the accumulating mechanism.

The bale-forming press, indicated as a whole by G, is more or lessconventionally shown and is one of the class of those in each of whichuse is made of a series o f compression rolls 20 and 21 arranged tosurround a bale-forming chamber. When these are in their workingposition the space or chamber which they surround is approximatelycylindrical in fo in. But some of the rolls (those at 20) are mounted ina movable frame section which is adapted to carry them away from thebale-forming chamber so that a bale, after being completed, can bedischarged therefrom.

The compression rolls 20 and 21 are provided respectively with pinions22, which engage with a driving gear 23. This gear receives power insuch way as to' make the press mechanism entirely independent of the bataccumulator, the condenser and the batformers. As shown, there is adriving pulley 24: which receives power from the belt 25 connected to apulley on countershaft 23. At 27 there is a clutching mech anism bywhich the power can be optionally cut off entirely from the press whenthe rolls are tobestopped and the baling chamber opened for thewithdrawal of a bale.

Any suitable mechanism can be employed which is adapted-to readily'stopand start the press, and has a driving mechanism 'entirely independentof the accumulator and the bat-former.

A baling mechanism having details of 'construction,;such as are shown inPatent No. 980,706 to Treese, dated January 3, 1911, can be used. And asreference can be made to that patent, for an illustration anddescription of all the necessary details, it is not necessaryto givesuch description here,

Suflice it to say that when a bale has been finished, the devices whichswing the movable roll-carrier away from the baling chamber areconnected to the power, the press is opened, and the bale is discharged.

28 is a hand lever pivoted at its upper end, and connected by a link 29to the section 17 of the bat chute. As shown, this link is not connecteddirectly to the chute, proper, but to a crank arm 30 which is secured tothe chute. \Vhen the lever 28 is moved to the right (see Fig. 1) it,through the link 29 and the crank 30, swings the bat chute upward to theposition shown in Fig. 2. This severs the bat, the part below the lineof severing or tearing passing on into the press as the last portion ofthe cotton pressed into the bale, while the forwart'i end of the newlyformed bat coming from the forming rolls 5 and 6 is carried up by theswinging chute 17 to, and is received by, the accumulating devices whichare constructed and operated as follows:

The shaft 2 of the condenser drum is pro vided with. a second pulley 31,and transmits power to devices that are supported upon the extension, orsupplemental, frame C. This frame has horizontally arranged bars 32, 33with studs or uprights 31-, and braces 35; there being of such frameparts as many as are desired. or found necessary.

Upon this framework is mounted, and from it is suspended, the aforesaidlever 28, as by the pivots or hinge devices 36 connecting it to the.bracing Two of these levers or suspended links can be employed, ifdesired. one at each side of the stationary frame, and connectedtogether to provide a firm carrier for the parts supported upon it. Inthis lever system there is mounted a swinging shaft 37 upon which thereis a pulley 38 connected by the belt 39 to the aforesaid pulley 31 onthe condenser shaft 2. This belt and these pulleys constantly r0 tatethe shaft 37 in one direction. Upon this shaft there is a spur pinion4-0 adapted to swing with the lever system. This pinion can engage withand rotate either of two gear wheels 41 and -12. The wheel 41 is carriedby a shaft 43. which is suitably mounted upon the frame-bars 32. Thisshaft also carries a sprocket wheel 44v which by a chain 45 is connectedto a sprocket wheel 46 on the shaft l7, suitably mounted on the lowerframe-bars 33. To this shaft 17 is secured a. relatively large drum 48.e19 is a web of suitable cloth having one end secured to the peripheralpart of the drum 48, the other end being similarly secured to the outersurface of a drum 50, which is mounted in a lower horizontal plane andso arranged as to have the severed end of the bat brought close to itwhen the movable bat chute 17 swings upward in the way upon the drum 48'as it is unwound from the drum 50. As soon as the end of the bat isbrought into contact with the cloth Web which is unwinding from the drum-50 it rests thereon and the hat is carried up by the cloth web andwinds upon the drum 48 in the way illustrated in Fig. 2, alternate coilsof cotton and cloth web being formed as such winding on the drum 48continues.

The lever system 28, being moved outward, not only swings the bat chute17 upward, as described, but also throws the pinion 40 into engagementwith the gear wheel 41 and this puts in motion the chain gearing at 44,45, and 46 and rotates the drum 48. The parts are so related that thebat chute 17 reaches the surface of the cloth web wound on roller 50just as the pinion 40 comes into mesh with the wheel 41, so that thetorn end or the bat is immediately engaged by the cloth web and carriedtoward the accumulator drum 48.

At the time the lever system 28' is moved outwardto effect theseresults, the baling press is stopped in its action, the power being cutoff from the compressing devices, and thrown onto the roll swingingmechanism, so that the bale-forming chamber is quickly opened and thebale ejected; all of the movements nd adjustments of the parts incidentto the bale-former being independ ent of the movements of the partscomprising the rest of the apparatus. The bale is ejected from the pressand all the parts of this mechanism are again brought to their normalworking position, in a short period oftime, and are ready to againreceive the flow of cotton batting.

The lever 28 is moved back from the position shown in Fig. 2 to thatshown in Fig. 1. As itmoves back the bat chute section 17 drops again toits normal position, its gravity being sufficient to lower it and toswing outward the crank 30, drawing outward with it the link 29; andthereupon the flow of the bat from the formers 5 and 6 is restored, andthe cotton. again enters the press.

That body of cotton which, while the press was being opened and the baledischarged, accumulated upon the roll 48 in the way described, is nowalso delivered to the press by the following devicesver 28 is carriedfrom (as in Fig. 1) inward far enough. to bring the inion 40, carriedthereby, into engagement with the spur wheel 42 on the shaft 52 mountedon the upper framework 32. To this shaft 52 there is also secured asprocket wheel 53, which, by a chain 54, is connected to the sprocket 55on the shaft 55 ofthe lower drum 50.

Duringthe above description it has been assumed that an operator hasmanually efltected the control of the driving mecha-I its neutralposition The lethe following devices:

56 is a wheel so mounted in relation to the lever 28 that it can beutilized to cause the alternate movements of the latter, first in onedirection, and then in the other. It is provided with trippers 57, 58,which are preferably seated in elongated slots 59 and 4 "60 in the webportion of the wheel, they being adjustable tangentially in the slots soas to be brought into operation at one in stant or another, as desired.These trippers have logs or projections 61 which rotate in such pathsthat, if the lever 28 suitably positioned, they can impinge upon it, onebeing adapted to push it in one di rection, and the other in theopposite. The shaft 47 has a gear wheel 62 which meshes with a wheel 63011a shaft 64 mounted on the lower frame 33. This shaft 64 alsocarautomatically stopries a sprocket wheel 65 which by means of thechain 66, is connected to the sprocketed periphery of the wheel 56.

When the power imparting parts are connected to the drum 48 and it isrotating in its winding-up direction, the wheels 62, 63 and the chain 66rotate the wheel. 56. After it has been moved a predetermined part of arotation the tripper 61 impinges upon the lever 28 and swings it inward,bringing the continuously rotating pinion 40 to its neutral position,this stopping the drum 48 from its winding action.

'lVhen, on the other hand, the lever 28 has been moved farther inward,as in Fig. 3, to bring the wheel 40 into engagement with the wheel 42,and the lower drum 50 has been thus put into action, it, by its stressupon. the cloth web 49, imparts reverse rotation to the drum 48; and thelatter, through the gear wheels 62. 63, and the chain 66, rotates thewheel 56 in the opposite direction and finally brings the trip per 59around to where it strikes the lever 28 and presses it in the oppositedirection, that is to lever back to its central or neutral position,thus disengaging the drive pinion 40 from the wheel 42, and stopping therotation of the drum 50; this occurring, at the time that the final endof the acciunulated bat section say, brings the is deliveredto thethroatway of the press.

The lever is positively locked in either i of itsJeXtreme positions, butit can be rehas leased from the lock devices either by hand orautomatically; the provision for this being as follows:

The shaft 64 of the wheel 56 is mounted. on the "frame bar 33, and upona bracket bar 67 secured to the frame, the bracket lying onone side ofthe wheel and the frame bar on the other. To thebracket bar 67 thereis'secured a supplementalbracket 68 having the, principal part of thelatter lying substantially parallel to, and being somewhat inside of,the bracket 67. 71 and 72 are lock stops. secured. to the bracket bar 67and adjustable thereon. Each is formed with a squared end 73 with aninclined inner edge 7 at. 7

The lever 28 is adapted to be moved not only in the way above described;that is, in planes transverse to its uppermost pivot, but also in planestransverse to those aforesaid, planes substantially parallel to theplane of tie axis of the shaft 6 1. ()rthe lower part 76 of the levercan be arranged to be so moved, this being the part which normally liesin the planes of the lugs 61. is a spring bar or plate fastened at oneend to the lever and at the other end bearing against the inner bracketbar 68, this spring constantly tending to push the lever into the planeof the lock stop 71, 72, and toward the adjustable lugs on the Wheel.These trip lugs 57, 58, have inclined inner edges so that they canact-as wedges or cams as the wheel revolves.

When one of the triplugs 57, 58,.comes to the'lever 28, the inclinededge pushes the lever inward far enough to release it from the lockstops 71, 72, and immediately after such release the lever is impingedon the lug 6]. on the trip cam and is drawn thereby toward its centralposition. As soon as the trip lug brings the lever to this centralposition, the. pinion 40 has been disengaged from the wheel which itdrives andthe accumulator mechanism is stopped. The lever is free,however, to be moved by the operators hand in planes'parallel to thewheel in either direction, and as it, the lever, moves, the inclinededge 74: on one of the lock stops or the other causes the parts 76 ofthe lever to move in until it reaches the end of the stop, whereupon thespring 75 forces the lever outward far enough to bring it in. the planeof thesquared end 73 of the stop. It will remain locked in that positionuntilthe reverse motion of the wheel 56 brings the other cam lug 57 (or58) around to the position where it, in turn, strikes the lever, itsinclined edge 7 7 first releasing the lever from the 'end 73 of the lockstop, and

then carrying it to position the central or neutral Of course, it willbe seen that in many re 7 speots there can'be modifications as concernsthe, details. shown and descr bed w tl1out.de--

parting from the essential features of my mechanism.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of the bat former, the bale forming mechanism, theaccumulator, neans for driving the accumulator in a direction to take upthe bat and to cause it to thereafter deliver the bat to the baleformer, a bat guide adapted to deliver the bat to the bale former or,alternately, to the accumulator, a manually operated device forcontrolling the accumulator which, when moved in one direction, causesthe delivery of the bat to the accumulator and causes the taking upaction of the accumulator, and when moved in the other direction causesboth the guide and the accumulator to deliver cotton to the bale former.

2. The combination of the hat former, the bale former, the bataccumulator, the movable bat guide, the power driver for theaccumulator, a reversible manually operated device which, when moved in.one direction, causes the accumulator, under the operation of saiddriver, to take up the bat and also causes the guide to deliver the batthereto, and, when moved in the other direction, causes the accumulatorto deliver the bat to the bale former and causes the return of the batguide to its initial position.

3. The combination oi the continuously acting bat former, theiutermittingly acting bale former, the reversible bat accumulator, themovable bat guide, the power driver for the accumulator, a reversiblemanually operated device for causing, when moved in one direction, theaccumulator to operate in one direction to take up the bat and alsomoves the guide to deliver the bat to the accumulator, and for causing,when moved in the other direction, the return movement of the bat guideand also causing the operation of the accumulator in its oppositedirection to deliver its bat to the bale former.

l. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of thecontinuously-acting bat-former, the independent intermitlinglyactingbale-former, the automatically movable bat guide, the accumulatorcomprising a reversible bat-supporting web, the webwinding rolls, thetwo intermittingly and oppositely-acting drivers respectively actuatingthe said rolls, the continuously-acting power transmitter for saiddrivers, and the reversible positively-driven tripper operating in timedrelation with the accumulator for disengaging it at the ends of each otits movements.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of thecontinuously-acting bat-former, the intermittingly-acting baleformer,the accumulator having a reversible bat-supporting web, means fordelivering the but from the bat-former alternately to the bale-formerand to the accumulator, a

web-winding roll on a fixed axis near the normal path of the bat,'asecond fixed webwinding roll, means for winding the web alternately inopposite directions on the said rolls, and means for varying the actionof the accumulator and automatically stopping it at either of severalpredetermined times relatively to the movements of the batformer.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of thecontinuously-acting bat-former, the intermittingly-acting baleformer,and the movable bat guide, of a reversible accumulator, the twooppositelyacting drivers for the accumulator, the continuously-actingpower transmitter for said drivers, and the positively driven tripperhaving two independently-acting trip elements each adjustable relativelyto the entire cycle of the movement of the tripper.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of acontinuously-acting bat-former, the intermittingly-acting baleformer,and the movable bat guide, of a reversible accumulator, the twooppositelyacting drivers for the accumulator, the continuously-actingpower transmitter for said drivers, and the positively-driven tripperoperating in timed relation with the accumulator for engaging it at theends of its movements, first in one direction and then in the oppositedirection.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of acontinuously-acting bat-former, the intermittingly-acting baleformer,and the movable bat guide, of a reversible accumulator, the twooppositelyacting drivers for the accumulator, the con tinuously-actingpower transmitter for said drivers, and the positively-driven tripperhaving two independent trip elements each adjustable independently ofthe other in relation to the entire cycle of movement of theaccumulator.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of thecontinuously-acting bat-former, the intermittingly-acting baleformer,the movable bat guide, the accumulator having a reversiblebat-supporting web, a fixed web-winding roll near the normal path of thebat, a second fixed webwinding roll, two independent drivers for saidrolls each adapted to be positively the bat guide intermediate ofactuated, a constantly-acting power trans mitter adapted to alternatelyengage with the said drivers, means for manually throwing the said powertransmitter and the said drivers alternately into and out of operativerelations, and an intermittingly-acting automatic trip for the powertransmitter operating in timed relations with the accumulator andadapted to disengage the transmitter from the said drivers alternately.

10. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of thecontinuously-acting bat-former, the intermittingly-acting baleformer,the reversible accumulator the movable bat guide for delivering the bateither to the bat-former or to the accumulator, said accumulator beingadapted to alternately accumulate portions of the bat and deliver themto the bale-former, an adjustable trip operating in timed relations withthe accumulator and adapted to automatically stop the accumulatingaction and simultaneously permit the return of the movable bat guide toits normal position, and means for manually connecting the power devicesto the accumulator and causing it to deliver the accumulated bat to thebaleformer.

11. The combination of the continuously acting bat former, thereversible accumulator, the intermittingly acting bale former, saidformers adapted to deliver the bat to the bale former and also adaptedto deliver it to the accumulator, means for moving the accumulator inone direction, means for moving the accumulator in the oppositedirection, and a manually controlled device arranged to simultaneouslycause the guide to deliver the bat to the accumulator and cause theaccumulator to take up the forward end of said bat and arranged to alsosimultaneously return the guide to its initial position and to cause theaccumulator to deliver the bat to the bale former.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE RAYMOND BROWN.

-Witnesses: V

J. Itoss RICHARDSON, E. I. GELDER.

topical or this patent may be obtained fdr five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner or Patents,

Washingtomhtfi.

